At long last, spring has arrived here in New England, with verdant leaves erupting through soil and piles of brown leaves. That means the return of neighbors who pass by my garden and say, “I love that rose bush!” or “What else are you growing this year?” It means frequent visits from busy pollinators like bees, butterflies, and funny squirrels who bury their acorns in my raised bed.

While it was challenging to accept on cold, overcast days, especially when I needed to feel my hands in the soil, I learned that winter can be good for a garden, providing a dormancy period for rest and — while we can’t see it — growth. In fact, winter is a time when some plants can divert their energy to building strong root systems and soil health can improve. Ah, gardening — teaching me yet another lesson I need to apply in my own life.

I started digging into my new hobby (pardon the pun) about five years ago, at first tinkering with an indoor herb garden and calamansi tree in my New York City apartment. Two years ago, after my family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, we began tending to an outdoor garden and discovered how mentally and physically healing it could be. The ritualistic acts of weeding, mulching, pruning, and watering gave us not only a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life, but also a chance to connect with each other, nature, and our new community.

The good news? Anyone, at any budget, can garden. All you need is a few seeds, good quality soil, and a desire to grow, both literally and metaphorically.

Gardening can alter your brain chemistry

A plethora of studies backs up the idea that gardening has numerous benefits: It improves air quality and biodiversity for our environment, reduces stress and increases mindfulness for gardeners, and strengthens our connection to community. In fact, it’s possible that the friendly bacteria in soil may affect the brain similarly to antidepressants, leading to the production of serotonin. One long-term study even found that gardening daily could reduce dementia incidence by 36 percent. Along with those benefits, many people hope to achieve more food sovereignty, a philosophy and practice based on the belief that........

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